hi all,
i was standing on my front lawn the other day surveying all i, or rather the
bank own. it struck me that nowhere on the block was free form British car
influence.
if we start at the front and work backwards, the first thing we see is the
imposing monolith of the landrover blocking some of the sea view from the
lounge windows.
as we move back we enter the carport, here we see the slightly dusty herald
waiting for another cruise to the beach. along side the herald is the
vitesse chassis leaning against the wall quietly awaiting progress on the
suspension bits. if we look deeper into the carport the sight of a herald
convertible rear tub patiently whiling away the hours, waiting for me to
repair the rust. just in front sits a two litre mkI engine covered in
plastic with the fan sticking out so i can turn it over when i walk past.
next to the car port is the lounge/dinning area, here the sharp eyed
tourist will see a tr6 manual hiding in the book shelf next to the herald
owners repair manual (the small black one), further along is the haines
version of a gt6 and vitesse repair book. another for a morris 1500, a j2
van, landrover series III, and a huge stack of english car magazines topped
by a wood rimmed vitesse steering wheel.
adjacent to the lounge is a small spare bed room, a quick peek reveals a
herald 1200 passenger seat but otherwise the room is devoid of lbc stuff.
the kitchen doesn't hold much either except some car polish and cloths under
the sink.
now we move to the rear section of the house and my computer/ work room is
the first stop. from where i sit typing this i can see three cardboard
dashes, a seat runner, three rotoflex outer drive shafts, a wishbone or two,
a sunroof and last years triumph world calendar. more stuff lurks in boxes,
painted and ready to be assembled.
next stop the bed room; open a wardrobe and no, you don't end up in narnia
but you will see an A-type in a box, a J-type under it, some wiring looms,
plastic 'play cubes' with misc trim parts and door handles and spare
this-and-thats.
to the back yard. first piece of scenery is a rusty rear herald saloon tub
awaiting the angle grinder. a few meters away is the rusty firewall, the
windscreen frame (in good condition) half removed. two mk one herald
chassis lurk somewhere near, just out of sight.
the tour ends in the magic cave, the shed. the shed has recently been
elongated to house the vitesse body bits and these dominate one end.
squeezed between these are dozens of misc suspension bits, seats, hub caps,
bits i took of the tr6, two engines, two gearboxes and somehow a bench. if
you can manage to find enough floor space to turn round in you will see a
convertible firewall, the vitesse diff, box, steering rack etc, a huge stack
of herald wheels and tyres and a 1200 bonnet (hood), the one with the small
indicators, lovingly installed in the older end. somehow the lawn mower, a
sack truck and a wheel barrow nestle uneasily amongst their older and more
revered cousins.
after the tour, i walk calmly back to the house knowing all these treasures
are safe from the cold and rain and, at least in my lifetime, will not have
to suffer the fate of rusting in a wreckers yard or in a field in the middle
of nowhere.
derek
where ever i hang my hat, that's the floor.
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